We all mourn the destruction of rain forests and the consequent damage and loss of bird habitats. As a coffee tragic, I have recently been interested to learn that genuine 'shade-grown’ coffee, that is, coffee genuinely grown as a rainforest understory,
is not only a superior coffee, but is providing a habitat for a number of otherwise endangered bird species.
This is, I understand, particularly so in Central and South America. I did however also learn that there is a bit of ‘jumping on the bandwagon, and that some African shade-grown coffees which had always been grown beneath managed shade trees, could not
be shown to have improved the environment for birds. However research in places like Guatemala shows that coffee grown in natural rainforests or on small mixed holdings of rainforest with fruit trees etc is definitely providing a habitat for endangered migratory
song birds. The Smithsonian Institute now certifies bird-friendly coffees. I have sourced some in Australia. There is quite a lot of discussion on the internet. The site where I started is
http://www.coffeereview.com/coffee-reference/coffee-categories/cause-coffees/shade-grown-and-bird-friendly/
